Guidance

Reducing burdens on educational and care settings

Updated 22 June 2021

This guidance was withdrawn on 20 July 2021

This page has been withdrawn because it’s no longer current. Check up-to-date coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance and information.

Applies to England

Overview

To help reduce the burden on educational and care settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Department for Education (DfE) and its agencies:

• will continue to assess whether data collections, services and requests are feasible or necessary
• have cancelled or paused all but the most essential data collections, services and requests and have published a list of these on this webpage
• will compile information about collections, services and requests, which will continue to be available on the collection’s individual webpage

Data collections and services which will be cancelled for the 2020 to 2021 academic or financial year

Collection title	Data source	Further information
Autumn sufficiency exercise	Local authorities	Collection cancelled: replaced by a smaller more targeted survey in September
Childcare and early years providers survey	Early years providers (school-based nurseries, maintained nurseries, childminders and private, voluntary and independent providers	Collection cancelled: replaced by a smaller more targeted survey in spring
Childcare and early years survey of parents	Parents, legal guardians	Collection cancelled: replaced by a smaller more targeted survey in spring
Early years foundation stage profile (EYFSP) 2021	Local authorities on behalf of state-funded early years settings	Collection will not take place in June 2021
Key stage 1 (KS1) assessments 2021	Local authorities on behalf of schools	Collection will not take place in June 2021
Key stage 2 (KS2) multiplication tables check (MTC) check outcomes 2021	Schools	Statutory collection will not take place in 2021 (the check can be completed on an optional basis)
Key stage 2 (KS2) science sample test (SST) outcomes 2021	Schools	Collection will not take place in 2021
Key stage 2 national data collection school control file (used in conjunction with the key stage 2 test outcome data and key stage 2 teacher assessments data) 2021	Schools	Collection will not take place in 2021
Key stage 2 pupil file (used in conjunction with the key stage 2 test outcome data and key stage 2 teacher assessments data ) 2021	Schools	Collection will not take place in 2021
Key stage 2 teacher assessments 2021	Schools	Collection will not take place in 2021
Key stage 2 test outcome data 2021	Schools	Collection will not take place in 2021
Land and building information request for new academies	Academies	Collection cancelled. Any queries can be directed to managing.burdens@education.gov.uk
National offer day survey	Local authorities	Collection will not take place in 2021
Parental responsibility measures attendance (PRMA) census	Local authorities	Collection cancelled. Any queries can be directed to managing.burdens@education.gov.uk
Phonics screening check 2021	Local authorities on behalf of schools	Collection will not take place in June 2021

Data collections and services which are paused

These data collections and services are currently paused. Each of these will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, in line with criteria outlined in this communication, to determine if the collections should happen at a later date and, if so, when.

Collection Title	Data source	Further information for publication
Teaching school alliance and national leaders of education data collections, including reviews of designations	Schools	Collection paused

Annex: Why data collections were paused or cancelled

Data collections were cancelled or paused unless they were covered by any of these principles.

Principle A

The information is essential for DfE to make decisions on action that needs to be taken to manage the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Principle B

The information is crucial for the running of educational and care settings, to update guidance or business continuity. This includes essential data that is required:

• for ensuring a payment to an institution (where there is no alternative method, for example, using data already held)
• for safety and safeguarding
• by law and where legislation does not allow for a relaxation on the collection of this information or where there is no alternative method, for example, using data already held
• where there is a statutory duty to prepare departmental accounts and to provide financial assurance to the National Audit Office (NAO)
• where the impact of not collecting the information is too great

Principle C

The information is not already collected elsewhere (including by other government departments or external bodies), or the information cannot be reasonably estimated from other data already collected.

Principle D

Staff are likely to travel (where they would not otherwise need to) to collate information or submit the data return (for example, to access paper records), and principles A and B do not apply.

We have also paused all research data collections that are not related to coronavirus. DfE is making every effort to ensure that only essential research data collections proceed, and that these are designed and coordinated to minimise respondent burden. Whilst these are not mandatory data requests, we appreciate your engagement to the greatest extent possible to help DfE respond to our users’ needs.

Contact

Email managing.burdens@education.gov.uk if you have any problems with completing returns that are still open.